'Momorabilia'

The weekly micro-decorating newsletter * Issue 7 of 13, SS25 *
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Design inspiration comes from many places, but in my case, seeing the world with an artist's eye is something I inherited from my Mom. From my earliest days, she was teaching me, and eventually my three brothers, how to pay attention to the world and notice details we might otherwise miss.

She passed this ability on to the next generation as well. In March, during our celebration of her birthday, she handed some ordinary plastic hangers to her visiting grandchildren and challenged each of them to come up with a creative arrangement. My niece made a pinwheel design with a snowflake-like quality:

The younger of my two nephews settled on a layered and complex display, the individual hangers lost in an interplay of curves and curls:

The older of my two nephews thought beyond flatness, creating a wonky sculptural contraption:

One of the hangers even hung off the edge of the base in an acrobatic bid for attention:

In one sense, it was just an amusing game to light up an afternoon for grandkids, but in another, it was a lesson in how the most unassuming objects are waiting for our transformative touch.

My Mom was one of the earliest subscribers to this newsletter, and could no doubt see her own love of interior design reflected in the topics I wrote about. She'd often give me feedback on Wednesday or Thursday, sharing what she liked, or occasionally didn't like, about the latest issue.

So, it's hard to believe that this is the second issue she won't read. My Mom passed away peacefully at Saint Joseph's Hospital on Friday June 20, the first day of summer. I was at her side as she left us, as were two of my brothers. In collaborating on her obituary last week, I included a sentence that captured how she taught all of us to see:

I know that I'll always feel her encouragement, wherever I go.

In the weeks and months ahead, my brothers and I will be reminded of her artistic eye as we sort through the beautiful things she collected and arranged in her home. We'll save some objects, pass along others, the arrangements breaking apart and becoming history.

Memorabilia may be comforting, but it might lead us to focus too intently on objects. My Mom gave us an enduring lesson, the notion that the world needs our attention and is enhanced by our smallest creative efforts. It's not about objects, then, it's about action. If I had to give it a name, I'd call it "Momorabilia", the never-ending impulse to make an aesthetic mark.

It's something she passed on to me, and I hope I'll continue passing it on to you.

Thank you for reading.